Fruit picker



R. C. BAKER FRUIT PICKER `Fully 12, 1949.

2 Shets-Sheet l Filed Sept. 25, 1946 JNVENToR.

ATTOE/VEYS Patented July l2, 1949 FRUIT PICKER Reuben C. Baker, Coalinga, Calif., assigner to Baker Oil Tools, Inc., Vernon, Calif.. a corpora.-V

tion of California Application September 23, 1946, Serial No. 698,679"

11 Claims.

`This invention relates to fruit pickers, and particularly to devices for gathering fruit disposed in trees out of easy hand reach of a person.

Certain types of fruit, such as avocados, offer diiculties in picking them from trees because of their remote location from the ground. These diiiiculties are enhanced by densetree foliage which tends to hide both the fruit and the operating mechanism of a mechanical picker that might be employed. The operator of the fruit picker is not assured that the fruit has entered the device fully before it is severed from the tree, which all too often results in damage of the fruit by the picker mechanism, or failure to recover the ruit.

, It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to overcome the aforementioned difculties by providing a fruit picker which insures recovery of the desired fruit without injury to it Another object of the invention is to provide a fruit picker in which severing of the fruit from the tree is determined by the fruit itself.

i Still a further object of the invention is to provide a fruit picker in which the fruit is severed automatically from the tree after it has been confined completely within the picker device.

In its general aspects, the invention contemplates a fruit picker having a spring or similar source of power for operating one or more knives functioning to sever the fruit from the tree or bush to which it might be attached. The motive power device is normally held ineffective by a latch mechanism which is releasable by the fruit itself. The spring device is energized for operation by the operator, and then elevated until its container completely encloses the fruit, whereupon the latter engages a tripping mechanism to release the latch mechanism, which then permits the spring device to actuate the knives and sever the fruit from the tree.

One form which the invention may` assume is exempled in the following description and illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional and perspective view of the fruit picker with its parts in position to receive and sever fruit from a tree.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the fruit picker with its parts in tripped position containing the severed fruit. l

Fig. 3 is a partial longitudinal section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken generally along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

In the specific form of the invention disclosed in the drawings, a container or receptacle I0 of generally cylindrical form has an open upper end II and a base I2 to which are suitably secured diametrically opposed supporting uprights I3 extending along the inner wall of the container, with their upper ends terminating adjacent diametrically opposed Openings or windows I4 in the container. A pair of generally semi-circular knives I5 are pivotally mounted on the upper ends of the uprights I3 by means of pivot pins I6 or the like, being movable -from an open generally horizontal position around the interior of the container Il) toward a generally vertical position with their cutting edges I1 substantially in contact with one another.

Movement of the cutting knives I5 toward each other is produced by an actuating mechanism, consisting of an actuator plate I8 Whose hub portion I9 is slidable along a relatively long tubular rod 20. This rod is secured to an encircling sleeve 2| by a set screw 22, the sleeve being welded or otherwise suitably attached to the base I2 of the container. In effect, the rod 20 is thus securely attached to the container III.

A pair of actuator arms 23 in alignment with the supporting uprights I3 are secured to the outer portion of the actuator plate I8, extending upwardly along the exterior of the cylindrical container to a point adjacent and below the open knives I5. The upper ends of the actuator arms 23 project inwardly through the container windows I4 with their fingers 24 bent or formed around the uprights to guide the arms in sliding along the latter. The uprights are also provided with lugs 25 extending inwardly through the windows I 4 under the knives I5. These lugs are so arranged with respect to the knives as to swing them upwardly on their pivots I6 upon upward movement of the actuator arms 23, and thus move the knives to a vertical severing position.

The actuator plate I 8 and arms 23 are urged in an upward direction with respect to the container I0 -androd 20 by a helical spring 26 encircling the tubular rod, with its upper end bearing against the actuator plate hub I9 and its lower end against an abutment in the form of a ring 2'! secured to the rod by a set screw 28 or the like.

The actuating mechanism is initially retained in a lower position with respect to the container I 0, rod 20 and knives I5 by a latching device, which serves to hold the spring 26 compressed against the rod abutment 21.` This latching device consists of a pair of diametrically opposed latches gagement by said fruit said actuating means.

4. A fruit picker, including a container for the reception of fruit to be picked from a tree or the like, means associated with said container for severing said fruit from the tree, said means comprising a cutter and a spring for moving said cutter in a severing direction, and latch means engageable with said severing means for preventing operation of said severing means, said latch means being releasable by said fruit upon its entry into said container.

5. A fruit picker, including means for severing fruit from a tree or the like, said means comprising a cutter and a spring for moving said cutter in a severing direction, and latch means engageable with said severing means for initially preventing operation of said severing means, said latch means being releasable upon its engagement by said fruit to permit said spring to actuate said cutter.

6. A fruit picker, including a container for the reception of fruit to be picked from a tree or the like, cutting means operatively associated with said container for severing said fruit from said tree While said fruit is disposed in said container, spring actuated means operatively associated with said cutting means for moving said cutting means, latch means engageable with said spring actuated means for holding it in ineffective position, and shiftable means operatively associated with said latch means for retaining said latch means in engagement with said spring actuated means, said shiftable means being disposed in said container for engagement and movement by said fruit to a releasing position with respect to said latch means.

7. A fruit picker, including a container for the reception of fruit to be picked from a tree or the like, cutting means operatively associated with said container for severing said fruit from said tree While said fruit is disposed in said container, spring actuated means operatively associated with said cutting means for moving said cutting means, means for preventing movement of said spring actuated means comprising a latch operatively associated with said spring actuated means for restraining said spring actuated means and movable by said spring actuated means from its restraining position, and a retainer operatively associated with said latch for preventing movement of said latch from its restraining position, said retainer being engageable and releasable by said fruit.

8. A fruit picker, including cutting means for severing fruit from a tree or the like, spring actuated means operatively associated with said cutting means for moving said cutting means, latch means engageable with said spring actuated means for holding said spring actuated means in ineffective position, and shiftable means operatively associated With said latch means for retaining said latch means in engagement with said spring actuated means.

to permit operation of 9. A fruit picker, including cutting means for severing fruit from a tree or the like, spring actuated means operatively associated with said cutting means for moving said cutting means, means for preventing movement of said spring actuated means comprising a latch operatively associated with said spring actuated means for -and sWingable upwardly restraining said spring actuated means and movable by said spring actuated means from its restraining position, and a retainer engageable with said latch for preventing said spring actuated means from moving said latch from its restraining position.

10. A fruit picker, including a receptacle for fruit to be picked from a tree or the like, a pair of knives movably mounted on said receptacle, means engageable with said knives for actuating said knives toward one another, a spring operatively associated with said actuating means for operating said actuating means, a latch operatively associated with said spring for holding said spring energized and in ineffective position, said latch being constructed and arranged for shifting by said spring from its holding position, and retainer means engageable with said latch for preventing shifting of said latch from its holding position, said retainer means extending into said receptacle and being movable by said fruit to a position permitting shifting of said latch from its holding position.

11. A fruit picker, including a receptacle for fruit to be picked from a tree or the like, a pair of knives pivotally mounted on said receptacle toward one another, means operatively associated with said knives and movable upwardly with respect to said receptacle for actuating said knives, a spring below said receptacle and engageable with said actuating means, said spring tending to shift said actuating means upwardly, a latch engageable with said actuating means to hold it in a lower position against the force of said spring, said latch being constructed and arranged for shifting by said spring and actuating means from its holding position, and retainer means extending into said receptacle and engageable with said latch for preventing shifting of said latch from its holding position, said retainer means being shiftable downwardly by said fruit when disposed in said receptacle to permit shifting of said latch from its holding positon.

REUBEN C. BAKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 844,601 Koerper Feb. 19, 1907 1,467,262 Barker Sept. 4, 1923 1,825,601 i Palmbush Sept. 29, 1931 

